Collision Type No. 4 > The Right Hook

Skate safety:

10 Ways to Not Get Hit

Collision Type No. 4
The Right Hook

A car passes you and then tries to make a right turn directly in front of you ... or right into you. They think you're not going very fast because you're on skates, so it never occurs to them that they can't pass you in time.

Even if you have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them, they often won't feel they've done anything wrong. This kind of collision is very hard to avoid because you typically don't see it until the last second, and because there's nowhere for you to go when it happens.

How to avoid this collision:

1. Don't skate on the sidewalk. When you come off the sidewalk to cross the street, you're invisible to motorists. You're just begging to be hit if you do this.

2. Stay to the left. Taking up the whole lane makes it harder for drivers to cut you off or turn into you. Don't feel bad about taking the lane. If motorists didn't threaten your life (by turning in front of or into you or passing you too closely), then you wouldn't have to. If the lane you're in isn't wide enough for cars to pass you safely, then you should be taking the whole lane anyway.

3. Use a mirror. If you don't have a helmet mirror, get one. Be sure to look in your mirror well before you get to the intersection. When you're actually going through an intersection, you'll need to be paying very close attention to what's in front of you.

(Go to Collision Type No. 5)